Microsoft has made no secret of its plans to accommodate creativity with its Creators Update for Window 10, which is scheduled to launch in early 2017. Thanks to the launch of a new update to the company’s Photos app, it now seems that creators won’t have to wait until then to receive new tools to express themselves with.
The biggest addition to the app, which is available now, is the ability to draw on photographs and videos using your touchscreen, stylus, or even your computer mouse. Three pen types and a host of different colors are available for use, allowing users to personalize any image and share it with their friends.
The coolest component of this new feature is only available once the creative process is complete. Photos will record an animation of you drawing over your picture, which can then be shared as a video. If you’re drawing on a video, the ink will play back at the appropriate time and place, according to a blog post published by Chris Pratley, Microsoft’s studio manager for the Photos app.
Photo editing has been streamlined, with a new interface that puts the focus on common tasks like cropping and rotation. A new set of filters has also been added to the app.
There’s a new light theme to complement the darker, lightbox-inspired default. A horizontal navigation bar has been introduced to make it easier for users to flip through photos grouped by albums or folders, or even to navigate through their entire collection of shots chronologically.
Finally, the Photos app is making its way to the Xbox One, allowing users to access media stored on OneDrive, as well as navigate through images using their controller. This version of the app, as well as the update for the PC version of Photos, are rolling out now.